Reps. Warren Kampf (R-Chester/Montgomery), David Maloney (R-Berks), Marcy Toepel (R-Montgomery), Tom Quigley (R-Montgomery) and Mike Vereb (R-Montgomery) today said they do not support a proposal to toll Route 422.

The proposal was unveiled this past Monday by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) and would levy a $2.65 one-way toll on the roadway. There would be four different electronic tolling stations between Pottstown and Valley Forge. Montgomery County Commissioner and DVRPC Chair Joseph Hoeffel aided in presenting the proposal to the Governor’s Transportation Funding Commission and supports the tolling proposal.

“I will not support the Hoeffel tolling plan, plain and simple,” Vereb said. “In the past I have frequently stated my opposition to tolling Route 422, but what angers me about this proposal is the lack of public input. We need to have an open process where the people who use the roads every day and who would be most affected by a toll have the opportunity to voice their opinions.”

“I am against this tolling plan, and I can tell you that the majority of the people I have spoken to also have expressed opposition to tolling this highway, as well,” said Quigley. “This plan should not move forward until it is openly vetted and the concerns of impacted citizens are heard and considered. Transportation funding plans cannot be conjured up in a vacuum without contemplating the real-world challenges and consequences, which can only be fully understood by speaking directly with the citizens.”

“By creating a local authority to oversee the toll collections and redistribution, you are creating another layer of bureaucracy we cannot afford,” Toepel said.

“The people of the community have already paid for the road. It’s not free. Now you’re asking them to contribute more,” said Kampf.

“Do we not already have in place a statewide gasoline tax that was designed to provide for projects such as this?” questioned Maloney, whose district sits at the highway’s western gateway. “This is a case of using existing tax dollars on upgrades to a road that has been and continues to be overlooked when it comes to improvements.”

The proposal would be funded by a $1 billion bond issuance and would not be completed until 2015.

A tolling proposal would need approval from the Legislature.

To view the DVRPC’s presentation, visit PennDOT’s website at www.dot.state.pa.us and click on the Governor’s Transportation Funding Advisory Commission button. The presentation can be found under the “Meeting Materials” link.